SAN MARCOS, Texas – In a physical defensive battle in the season finale, Texas State scored in the 77
th minute to edge App State, 1-0.
The Mountaineers will be the number 7 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament, where they will face off with Marshall, the 10 seed, at 5 p.m. ET in Foley, Ala. on Monday.
Neither team produced many offensive chances in the opening half of play, but both ratcheted up the intensity in the second stanza.
Breckyn Monteith recorded the best opportunity for the Mountaineers (6-8-4, 5-5-0) on the night, when she rifled a shot that deflected off the hands of the Bobcats (12-4-2, 5-3-1) goaltender and out for a corner kick, early on in the second half.
Shannon Studer and
Emma McGibany also tallied shots on goal for the Mountaineers.
Texas State produced a flurry of second half opportunities with less than 20 minutes to play, and ultimately came away with the lone goal of the contest on a Kiara Gonzales header with less than 14 minutes to play. The Bobcats recorded 13 of their 17 shots in the second half.
Kerry Eagleston recorded three saves on the night for the Mountaineers, including smothering a ball on the goal line midway through the second half.
Studer, Monteith,
Katilyn Little, and
Skyler Walk each played all 90 minutes for the Mountaineers, while
Carly Lantz earned her first start of the season along the back line.
The seventh-seeded Mountaineers and tenth-seeded Thundering Herd will battle for the right to face second-seeded Arkansas State, Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. All Sun Belt Tournament matches will be broadcast on ESPN+.